A year out from the political assassination of one of their colleagues, Minnesota lawmakers are honoring her memory as who they describe as the most consequential House speaker in state history — as well as to prevent future tragedies.
After an emotionally charged legislative session, state legislators approved new funding to keep new security in place at the Capitol. They’re also adding new threat response measures as menacing and often violent comments directed at them have surged.
And after a gunman killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home and shot state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, several times, lawmakers put clearer communication trees in place to triage potential threats and to alert public officeholders of potential danger.
Public safety officials and elected leaders said the shootings informed the changes, meant to close gaps in the state’s crisis response strategies.
“Until last summer, we kind of had a hodgepodge way of reacting to that,” House DFL Caucus Leader Zack Stephenson said. “Now we’ll have a statewide response that ensures that lawmakers all over the state are safe when their lives are threatened.”
The Legislature and other regulatory entities also removed public officials’ addresses from websites in the immediate aftermath of the shootings. The state’s campaign finance board gave candidates clearance to use campaign money for security. Those changes are permanent.
Some public dollars were also used to help defray costs of home security systems. At the Capitol, visitors saw new weapons screening, a heavier law enforcement presence monitors the complex and access to the building is more restricted compared to a year ago. Those will remain in place under new funding.
“It’s both reassuring and sad,” Stephenson said. “It shouldn’t have to be this way, and it is sad when you’re down at the Capitol, a place that as long as I’ve been there, has been tremendously open to see those really constant physical reminders of what we've been through and what the cost is.”
The Legislature responded by putting extra emphasis on political threats, creating a new investigative unit.
“I think it’s going to give a sense of security. I think that was shattered for the entire state on June 14,” said House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring.
Legislators also did more for lawmakers, judges and other office holders when they aren't in public buildings. The new Legislative Services Unit will field and investigate threats to lawmakers. They’ll also coordinate with local police if officials need protection while they’re at home.
“It also sends a message to the public that things are no longer the same,” Demuth said. “What you maybe used to do, with calling and being angry and whatever that is, you can express yourself, you have a First Amendment right to do that. You cannot be violent, and you cannot make threats of violence.”
Demuth has experienced those threats firsthand. Earlier this year, a woman allegedly left angry voicemails for Demuth and another GOP lawmaker that escalated and included threats of violence. That woman faces felony charges and is next expected to appear in court in July.
State public safety officials said the new tools will help them root out and address potential risks sooner.
“The threats to our democracy continue to be real, and we need to treat them as that, and so that means that we need to address each and every time there is a threat seriously and put in additional protections for our legislators,” Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans told MPR News’ Morning Edition. “Communication can and will be improved when we encounter threats.”
Social media sites are becoming increasingly polarizing and driving people to anger, which can be dangerous, Evans said.
Stephenson said he hopes people will also take a cue from Hortman. She frequently reminded peers to argue over ideas, not personalities.
“I hope that we learn the lesson that what we say matters, that political rhetoric has real consequences, and that we should treat each other as humans,” Stephenson said, “Even when we disagree.”
Another policy change will enhance the penalty for impersonating a police officer from a misdemeanor to a felony. Vance Boelter, the man charged with killing the Hortmans and shooting the Hoffmans, is alleged to have disguised himself as a police officer to gain access to their homes.
New efforts to memorialize Hortmans
The Legislature also started renaming programs and public spaces in honor of the Hortmans.
A solar garden program championed by Melissa Hortman is one. A bike trail in Lake County will carry the name of Mark Hortman, an avid mountain biker. A garden on the Capitol complex will be named for the couple. A new state park could be, too.
Lawmakers also donated $200,000 to the organization Helping Paws to train more service dogs in honor of Gilbert, the family’s golden retriever. The Hortmans were training Gilbert but he failed his tests to become a service dog, which meant the family got to keep him.
Highway 610, which runs through the district that Hortman represented in Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids and Champlin, will be renamed the Hortman Memorial Highway.
Stephenson, Hortman’s former campaign director, assumed the House DFL leadership role last year in the wake of the tragedy. He said it’s a fitting tribute.
“When she first ran for office in 2004 one of the big things she was running on was completing Highway 610,” he said. “(Highway) 610 also connects the two communities that she represented — Brooklyn Park and Coon Rapids, one of the few bridges over the Mississippi in this part of the world.”
For decades, the freeway was a work in progress. Now it’s complete.
Stephenson said the memorials would probably be too much for the often-humble Hortman.
“She wasn't someone who had a huge ego and needed to take credit for everything. She was happy to share the spotlight, which really created an atmosphere where a lot of people could succeed,” Stephenson said.
He noted future memorial efforts are possible.
“I think that we're not done protecting the memory of the Hortman family,” Stephenson said. “I think that there's an important story here to be told, and to be preserved.”
